The first image of a black hole that astronomers obtained was that of one located 53 million light years away, in the galaxy M87. Since then, scientists have not stopped studying this enormous monster. Now, a second observation campaign has revealed a shot of gamma rays ejected by this object. It is the first recorded in that region with current techniques.
Images of black holes are obtained thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project. It is a collaboration program between the main radio telescopes in the world. Instrument signals come together to create a virtual Earth-sized lens that captures radiation from incandescent matter around a black hole. Then, through sophisticated algorithms, the information is interpreted to create a rough image of what the gravitational object’s shadow looks like.
In a new deployment of analysis on the same data obtained in 2018, scientists achieved a new approximation to the behavior of the object in M87. This time, they found the moment in which a specific point on the structure triggers a flare of gamma radiation, the most energetic within the electromagnetic spectrum.
An unpredictable flare
The most violent and powerful events in the universe are sources of gamma radiation. Black holes, in particular, can eject jets of matter at near-light speeds and accelerate particles to reach very high energy levels. They can also cause gamma ray flares, brief but equally energetic events.
According to the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysicsthe M87 energy flare lasted three days. Its extension region was 170 Astronomical Units (one AU is equivalent to the distance between the Sun and the Earth). The energy emission was higher than any other data so far detected in the region, so it was relatively easy to isolate the source. The capture of the shot is a coincidence, because, in the words of astronomers, the black hole is “highly unpredictable.”
“We were fortunate to detect a gamma-ray flare from M87 during the Event Horizon Telescope’s multi-wavelength campaign. It allows us to precisely constrain the size of the region responsible for the observed gamma-ray emission. The observations, both recent ones with a more sensitive EHT array and those planned for the coming years, will provide invaluable information and an extraordinary opportunity to study the physics surrounding the M87 supermassive black hole,” said Giacomo Prince. study coordinator.
Why are cosmic rays that come from black holes studied?
Energetic particles are extremely dangerous to their immediate surroundings. Fortunately, Earth is a safe distance from any of those events, even the Milky Way black hole’s own ejections. However, some of those cosmic rays have been captured by Earth’s sensors. The particles impact in the form of lightning bolts or as a chaotic rain. For example, the largest burst of gamma rays the Earth received came from a supernova.
Although high-energy cosmic particles are “harmless,” they may interfere with telecommunications on Earth and affect satellites. Understanding the physics of particles ejected from a black hole may, in the future, help protect our technologies. On the other hand, although well recorded, the origin of relativistic matter jets and gamma radiation flares remains uncertain. Recently, it was considered that they are accelerated not by nuclear explosions, but by the twisting of gravitational fields.
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